On test: Lawn seed and fertiliser spreaders

Avoid waste and get the best from lawn treatments, fertilisers and seeds with a tool to deliver the right amount in the right place, quickly and efficiently. Tim Rumble tests six lawn seed and fertiliser spreaders

Distributing lawn seed for a new lawn, or to thicken up your existing grass, can be a haphazard business if it’s broadcast by hand. The same applies to lawn feed, and weed and moss killers. So a mechanised spreader with adjustable delivery to put the right amount of product exactly where you need it makes sense.

There are two type of spreader: hand-held devices, with some electrically powered while others rely on elbow grease; and wheeled push-along hoppers that either drop product, or spread it in a wide arc. Accurate delivery is an issue as you don’t want grass seed or weed, and moss killing products sprayed across your flowerbeds. Spreading the right volume gives the best performance without waste. Hand-held units can also be used for delivering granular or pelleted fertiliser on flower and veg beds.

We tried a range of six products covering all of these designs to help you choose the best for your garden.

Deluxe Seed & Fertiliser Spreader

£14.99

Score: 13/15

Tel: 01594 560200 Website: greenkey-garden.co.uk

Features ****

Hand-held 3-litre capacity spreader with extending forearm support for stability and comfort. Hand-powered, with four aperture settings. Broadcast width approximately 2m.

Performance ****

Easy to select setting, fill hopper and extend forearm support, which gives good stability. Light in use even when full. Handle smooth to turn and offers good control of flow by speeding up or slowing down. Worked well with lawn seed and granular lawn treatment, and gave a light though adequate spread of chicken-manure pellets on the highest setting. Built-in bias to the left helps to avoid overshoot onto borders.

Easy flow adjustment, nice light trigger mechanism. Good control of product distribution by adjusting walking pace. No ‘side’ bias as with hand-held devices, but you can see where the product is falling so very little overshoot onto borders. Worked well with lawn seed, granular lawn treatment and pelleted chicken manure. Comfortable to use and covers a big area fast.

Value *****

This is the one to buy if you need to treat a big lawn.

Twist & Grow spreader

£6.00 plus £4.50 delivery

Score: 10/15

Tel: 01904 468551 Website: newitts.com

Features ***

Twist/gravity-powered hand-held spreader with four different settings (using dial on base of tub) for seed and granular feed. Snap-close lid with integral handle and 3.5kg capacity.

Performance ***

Top falls off when opened, but easy to snap back on. Dialling one of four settings is simple. No noticeable spill of product before twisting the tub. Walking while twisting and swinging the tub delivers a slightly haphazard but quite acceptable flow of product. Worked well with granular lawn treatment and pelleted chicken manure, but difficult to get a good flow setting for lawn seed.

Value ****

A well-priced, simple tool for smaller gardens. It works well if you’re not too worried about accurate distribution.

Fiddly assembly. Contains enough to cover a big area. Light to push and easy for accurate delivery. Product contained between wheels so no accidental spreading. Worked well with lawn seed. Granulated lawn treatment needed care to get the right setting – start low! It just about managed pelleted chicken manure giving light coverage on highest setting.

Value ****

Simple, strong and reasonably priced offering very accurate control. Not so good for uneven surfaces.

Snap power unit onto spreader, select setting, fill hopper and pull trigger to start spreading. Built-in right-hand bias to help protect borders. Tends to throw out a big clump of product before settling into even spreading. Worked well with lawn seed, granulated lawn treatment and pelleted chicken manure. Charging cable stiff to plug into back of Isio unit.

Value ***

A worthwhile and versatile accessory for smaller gardens if you already own the excellent Isio battery trimmer.

Excellent, clear controls. Battery cover fiddly to remove. Safety lock, on/off trigger and dial flow-adjuster worked well and gave good flow control. Delivered an even spread of lawn seed, granular lawn treatment and pelleted chicken manure with ease. Sliding EdgeGuard into place gave clean right-hand bias to delivery to protect borders, but setting needed turning up half a click to maintain flow. Enough power in batteries to do quite a big lawn.

Value *****

Easy to use, lots of adjustment for accurate volume delivery, handy EdgeGuard to keep product where you want it, and versatile to use
with different products.